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As incredible as it may seem today, three million UK households were still reliant on dial-up internet access as recently as ten years ago. Memories of patiently (or impatiently) waiting while data trundled down a phone line through a 56K modem remain fresh, even among consumers spoilt by 4G mobile connectivity and domestic download speeds measured in Mbps rather than Kbps.

Universal Uniformity

You may not have heard of Microsoft’s new Universal Windows Platform, but it has potentially huge implications for the global software and gaming industries. For the first time, Microsoft has incorporated a closed platform-within-a-platform into Windows 10, with one API set capable of running on all Windows 10-powered devices, from smartphones and tablets to PCs and laptops.

Things were better in the old days, the purists always say. Gas lamps were better than sodium lighting, vinyl gave a purer sound than CDs, and computer games were more enjoyable when gameplay took precedence over graphics. The latter argument certainly has some merit – some of today’s PS4 and Xbox One titles do seem more focused on providing pixel-perfect backdrops than linear difficulty curves. But is it true that modern gamers are missing out on the sheer playable pleasures of old school titles?